


White Flag

by dementorsatemysoup



Series: Post Season Four [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Gen, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Smoking, Sorta Friendship, Talks About Attempted Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-19 02:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1451299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lip and Mickey talk about Ian</p>
            </blockquote>





	White Flag

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very proud of this one... it probably could have been better, but I started writing this earlier today and had to finish it. So, sorry for this.
> 
> Thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and I don't own Lip or Mickey.

Mickey shut the front door behind him, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He fumbled with the lime green Bic he swiped from Mandy, flicking it three times before a small flame erupted from the lighter. He lit the cigarette, taking a long drag on it, blowing out a mouthful of smoke.

He sat down on the top step, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His cigarette dangled from his left hand, an orange glow among the dark street. The streetlights hadn’t worked in his neighborhood in years, not since Joey stole Peter Lee’s slingshot and spent an entire Saturday shooting out the bulbs.

He’d much rather be smoking inside, the mid-February wind biting at his exposed hands and face, but since Ian stopped smoking, Mickey tried to avoid smoking around him, even after Ian reassured him he didn’t have to. For a split second, Mickey actually contemplated stopping _with_ Ian, but after the crap few days he’d been having, he’d given up on the idea.

Ian still wouldn’t get out of bed, his mood ranging from random outburst, demanding to be left alone, and the sudden bout of tears that left his body shaking and his eyes swollen and red. Mickey tried to comfort him during those moods, but Ian kept pushing him away. He’s trying to be patient, trying to understand that Ian needed time, would snap out of it in his own time, but Mickey still couldn’t help the frustration that surged through him every time it seemed he and Ian weren’t making any progress.

Mickey took another drag of his cigarette, blowing smoke out his nose, rubbing his forehead. He hadn’t been sleeping well, too worried about Ian to even attempt to close his eyes, and he had been fighting a headache. Mandy offered him some of those PMS pills, Svetlana’s girlfriend (or whatever) taking the last Motrin, but Mickey had turned her offer down with a small glare. He’d suffer through the headache.

“I wouldn’t be sitting outside at this time of night,” a familiar voice said, startling Mickey, a shape moving through the shadows and towards him, “you might get shived.”

“I didn’t know you cared, Gallagher,” Mickey retorted drily, drawing in another lungful of smoke.

“I don’t,” Lip replied taking a seat next to him, hands buried in his jacket pocket, “but I have a kid brother who’d probably tear this town apart if anything happened to you.”

“He ain’t doing much moving lately,” Mickey grumbled sniffing, flicking ashes onto the ground.

“These might help,” Lip said pulling an orange prescription bottle from his jacket, “just until we can get him to the clinic.”

“He ain’t going to some fucking hospital,” Mickey snarled throwing a sharp look Lip’s way.

“I never said he was, but seriously what are you gonna do when he completely breaks? Monica slit her goddamn wrists…” Lip trailed off, looking away from Mickey. He drew in a deep breath and softly said, “I don’t really like you, Mickey, and I don’t quite understand why Ian does, yet here we are.” He turned back to the other boy, a bitter smile on his face. “I’d love more than anything to blame you for this,” he gestured towards Mickey’s house, towards Ian, “and who the fuck knows it just might be your fault…”

“Fuck off,” Mickey snapped getting to his feet. He didn't need Lip fucking Gallagher reminding him of the guilt he already felt. “Give me the stupid fucking pills and get the fuck off my porch.” Mickey held his hand out, waiting for Lip to give him the pills, but he didn’t give up the bottle.

Instead, he studied the bottle, turning it over in his hands, his eyes settling on Monica’s name. “Frank has always been Monica’s support system. A piss poor one if you ask me, but he’s who she chose.” He looked up, catching Mickey’s eyes, and softly said, “This might be your fault, it might not, but at least you’re trying to fix it.”

He held the bottle out to Mickey, waiting for the other boy to take it. When he did, Lip stood up, somehow managing to steal Mickey’s cigarette. “Take care of my brother, okay.”

“Yeah,” Mickey replied nodding, a little wary about what had just happened.

Lip made a face when he took a drag of the cigarette, throwing it away, and said, “Maybe get better smokes, too.”

“Fuck off, Gallagher,” Mickey muttered clutching the bottle in his hand. The two boys were quiet for a long moment, but finally Mickey nodded behind him and asked, “Do you wanna go see him?”

Lip looked at the door, some unidentifiable emotion flickering in his eyes, but finally he shook his head and said, “I’ll come by tomorrow after class.”

“Whatever.”

Lip started walking away, but stopped, turning back to Mickey. “Do you love my brother?”

Before Mickey could respond, the door opened. He turned to see his wife lingering in the doorway, holding Yvegeny. She spared Lip a single look before looking back at Mickey. “Orange Boy is asking for you.” Ian hadn’t asked for anyone or anything in almost three days, so to hear that the younger boy asked for Mickey left the older boy feeling a bit lightheaded.

Mickey turned back to Lip, but the other boy had already walked away, his retreating silhouette slowly disappearing into the darkness. Mickey waited an extra two seconds before following Svetlana inside, closing the door behind him.


End file.
